Final round of layoffs at Capital One in Salinas; Closes for good

Karen Gorman was among the hundreds of Capital One employees laid off in Salinas.

SALINAS. Calif. -

Capital One employees in Salinas will go to work Friday, leave, and not return as the bank and credit card company shutters its operation on the Central Coast for good.

The 215 employees still left at the office Thursday focused on cleaning out their desks and cubicles.

"(There are) a lot of tears and people packing. Pretty much all you'll see in the office are people getting ready to turn in their equipment," said Karen Gorman, a Capital One employee who is losing the job she held for nearly 17 years.

Salinas' largest private employer, HSBC, was bought by Capital One in May 2012 as part of a $2.2 billion deal between the two Fortune 500 companies.

HSBC's 880 employees were thrown a welcome party by their new Capital One bosses and were assured that their jobs were safe. Employees received goodie party bags filled with free stuff covered in Capital One logos.

The very next day, a meeting was abruptly called and employees listened to this announcement: The entire staff will be laid off in waves and this facility is closing by 2013.

One employee was so disgusted that he anonymously dropped his goodie bag off at KSBW's news station.

Gorman was a loyal employee at the 1441 Schilling Place company when it was Household Bank, then HSBC, and then Capital One.

"(Capital One) was so happy, they couldn't thank us enough for staying on during the transition when they took over HSBC," Gorman said, holding back tears Thursday. "Then you get hit the next day. You have a nice big party one day, and the next, your job is going away."

Kelly Siverston, another Capital One employee, said it's been stressful this past year and a half, knowing about the imminent layoffs.

"I think everybody maintained a level of professionalism, kept heads to the ground, but there's that level of what's next?" said Sivertson, who worked as a marketing project manager. "But I think it's a bit of closure, we've known for a while. There is, though, a sense of anxiety that it's finally here."

Neither Gorman nor Siverston has jobs lined up, but say Capital One has been helpful in their job search.

"The one thing I will give Capital One credit for is their career development center," Gorman said. "They totally re-did my resume and cover (letter) to where it's immaculate. I went to interview labs, which were very helpful."

Capital One pledged $1.6 million to the City of Salinas for workforce development, and it will pay property taxes through 2019 when its lease expires.

Copyright 2013 byKSBW.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Forty years ago, one of the greatest boxing matches in history took place in an unlikely setting: the capital of the Philippines. Muhammad Ali's epic win over great rival Joe Frazier in 1975 became known as the "Thrilla in Manila."